Parents with children under the age of 12 will be entitled to an additional four weeks of unpaid leave from September.
The following year, September 2020, this will then be extended to 26 weeks per child.
Parents are currently allowed to take 18 weeks per child.
The government wants families to ‘enjoy a better work-life balance’ by giving parents the chance to spend more time at home with their children.
The qualifying child age has also been increased from eight to 12, meaning workers with children up to the age of 12 will be able to take leave.
Parents who have used up part of their leave will also benefit from these new changes in September.
Parents can apply for additional unpaid leave through their employer.
Ireland is one of only six EU countries where employers are not obliged to pay workers if they take parental leave, being that it's currently at the discretion of the employer.
